Published on
Monday, 27 May 2013 00:00 [ Malaya.com.ph ]
Metro Pacific
Investments Corp. sees an opportunity to expand its hospital business into
clinics in malls as the company works to
complete its latest hospital acquisition.
Augie
Palisoc, Jr., MPIC executive director and head of the MPIC Hospital Group, said
that as the company wraps up the requried paper works for the 51-percent
acquisition of De Los Santos-STI Medical Center (DSL-STI), they are also
looking into the possibility of venturing into the non-hospital based independent
diagnostic center, of which DSL-STI already has a presence.
“With DLS-STI
comes its affiliate, De Los Santos – STI Megaclinic, Inc. (Megaclinic), which
is a mall-based diagnostic clinic. We are looking if we could expand it,” said
Palisoc.
Megaclinic’s
presence in Megamall is a 2,000 square meter ambulatory and diagnostic center
considered to be the largest in the country in this category.
Palisoc said
they are close to finalizing the deal that will give them a majority control in
the 150 bed hospital, founded in 1973 by the late Dr. Jose V. De Los Santos,
Sr., considered the father of Philippine Orthopedics.
If completed,
DLSMC will become the 7th in MPIC’s growing nationwide chain of hospitals in
the Philippines, bringing MPIC’s total bed capacity to approximately 2,000
beds.
MPIC started
with an investment in Makati Medical Center, followed by Davao Doctors
Hospital, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, Our Lady of
Lourdes Hospital, and most recently the Asian Hospital and Medical Center.
Jose Ma. K.
Lim, Metro Pacific president, meanwhile said negotation is also in the works to
acquire a 200 bed hospital in Tarlac, the next in the plate of Metro Pacific’s
hospital group.
Lim however
declined to identify the identity of the hospital.
__________________________________________________________
